Can a Parent Make a Child Go to School?

State Laws

• If you live in Massachusetts and then move to Michigan, you won't have the same rights to make your child go to school. Each state has their own laws and guidelines governing mandatory, or compulsory, age requirements. This includes the lower age limit for when a child must start school and the upper age for when a child may legally drop out of school. For example, in Massachusetts, children must attend school until they are 16 years old, but in Michigan, kids can't drop out until they are 18. Before you try to exert your right to make your child go to school, check with your specific state's laws on compulsory age requirements.

High School Drop Outs

• In 2010, 7.4 percent of U.S. students ages 16 and over left school before graduating, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. That said, some of those kids had the legal right to drop out, without a parent interfering. The Education Commission of the States notes that 28 states allow teens to stop attending school after age 16, nine have a compulsory age of 17 and 17 require teens to go to school all of the way until age 18. If your state has a compulsory age requirement that is above your child's age, you have the right to stop him from dropping out and force him to attend school.

Emotional Considerations

• Although some kids simply may not want to go to school because they don't feel like it or think that their time is better spent elsewhere, other children have emotional avoidance issues. The American Academy of Pediatrics, on its Healthy Children website, notes that some kids have psychological fears when it comes to going to school. This may manifest in physical symptoms such as headaches or stomach problems, which may seem more like illnesses or health-related concerns than emotional issues. Instead of just letting your child go without school, the AAP recommends that parents talk to their kids about their fears, contact the school staff for help or consult a professional for severe issues. For example, if your child is feeling chest paint or panic just at the thought of going to school, consider this a red flag to talk to the pediatrician or a mental health professional for guidance. letting your child stay home from school every day out of fear will only serve to feed his problems, and not give him the help that he needs.

Alternatives

• When your child refuses to go to school, and she is under the compulsory age limit, you may have other options. If you've exhausted all of your at-home strategies -- such as talking to your child, using positive reinforcement or providing rules and consequences -- and the school staff isn't doing the trick either, you may want to consider home schooling or an alternative educational program. If your state permits it, and you are willing to act as your child's teacher, you can educate your child at home. Another option is to check out an alternative educational program. Alternative schools include public and private programs for kids who are struggling in the traditional educational environment and may mesh better with a different type of academic philosophy or system. For example, your district may offer a technical or vocational alternative high school or you may opt for a private program for your younger child such as Waldorf or Montessori.